Cancer Services Brachytherapy St. Rita's is the region's first cancer center to offer High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy. This approach to radiation therapy places small, radioactive sources within or next to cancerous tissue to deliver high doses of radiation to the tumor. During this technique, a radioactive source is attached to a thin wire and inserted into a special tube called a catheter. The wire and source travels through the catheter to the cancerous site where it remains for several minutes. Patients normally receive up to six treatments over a two to three week time period. A second form of brachytherapy is prostate seed implantation. The seeds are about the size of a grain of rice and are used to aggressively treat prostate cancer. They are permanently implanted directly into the prostate gland and their radioactivity gradually diminishes over time. Brachytherapy will be used to treat other forms of cancer in the future.

For More Information (419) 996-5063 Map & Directions   Did You Know: The term "brachy" is Greek for short distance, and brachytherapy is radiation therapy given at a short distance: localized, precise and high-tech.